JOHN Swinney was told off by the presiding officer when he called Anas Sarwar's comments about Ferguson Marine "guff".
The Scottish Labour leader criticised Swinney after a contract for seven new electric ferries was awarded to a Polish firm over the Scottish shipyard.
The £175 million programme – which was seeking to build vessels to Scotland’s less-populated islands – saw a number of firms bid, including the troubled Ferguson Marine – which has been at the centre of an ongoing political storm since its nationalisation in 2019.
Sarwar said: "So much for Stronger for Scotland, it's the SNP stronger for Poland, the SNP stronger for Turkey.
"I want the ferries to be built here in Scotland. I want Scotland's shipbuilders to be able to bid and win these contracts but John Swinney believes none of them are good enough to build Scotland's ferries."
But Swinney then called Sarwar's comments "guff", which the Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone took exception to.
Smiling, she interrupted the First Minister to say: "Let's ensure our language is courteous and respectful."
Swinney went on: "Let me rephrase. I don't believe any of the nonsense that Mr Sarwar purported to be my view.
"We've gone through a competitive tendering process and Ferguson Marine have been part of that competitive tendering process, so it follows that I believe that yard's perfectly able to build the ships."
During his exchange with Sarwar, Swinney also brought up the GMB union calling Labour’s response to the Ferguson Marine situation "disappointing" in 2021.
The First Minister also tore Russell Findlay to shreds after the Tory leader insisted the contract should have been won by Ferguson Marine.
Findlay said Scotland should be able to build ferries and questioned why new CalMac vessels will instead be built in Poland.
He said under the direct control of the Scottish Government, Fergusons is unable to compete.
At the same time, Findlay also suggested the entire procurement process for the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa was "rigged and the rules were repeatedly broken".
Swinney subsequently ripped into him at FMQs as he read out a damning list of his previous comments, including him saying Ferguson Marine was a “terrible drain on the public finances”.
Swinney said: "He's not being straight with Parliament with his questions today.
"This is what Russell Findlay said before. He called Ferguson Marine a 'terrible drain on the public finances'.
"He called my Government's support 'recklessly throwing taxpayers' money away'."
As he was heckled and interrupted during the heated exchange, Swinney said: "I'm not finished yet."
He went on: "He said that the 'non-stop squandering of cash cannot go on'.
"So what we know today is that Russell Findlay has specialised in talking down the yard at Fergusons.
"We know he's come here today to just demonstrate the political opportunism that we hear from him every week, and we know why he's doing it, because the Conservative Party are being hammered by Reform and Russell Findlay is on his way out with most of his colleagues with him. Thank goodness and good riddance to them."
Ferguson Marine has faced criticism in recent years for the much-delayed and over-budget building of the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, the two ferries for the Isle of Arran.
Jim McColl, who previously owned Ferguson Marine, blamed CMAL for problems building the two Arran ferries and accused the Scottish Government of doing a “hatchet job” on the yard to divert attention away from problems with CMAL.
He said it was an “absolutely crying shame” that Ferguson Marine missed out on the contract.
